With a little more than two months until trial, prosecutors and attorneys for former Qwest chief Joe Nacchio met privately with a judge Friday to discuss secret documents the defense wants to use at his insider-trading trial.
The closed-door session, which lasted about 2 1/2 hours, was the latest in a string of conferences where the parties reviewed government documents that are withheld from the public’s view under the Classified Information Procedures Act.
U.S. District Judge Edward Nottingham convened the session in open court briefly to set a schedule of hearings leading up to the March 19 trial.
Nottingham has said Nacchio may use some classified information in his defense at trial, but none of the details have been released.
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SAN JOSE, Calif.
Littleton man pleads guilty in H-P probe
A former Hewlett-Packard Co. private investigator pleaded guilty Friday to federal charges that he posed as a reporter and company director to get telephone records for an internal probe of boardroom leaks.
Bryan Wagner of Littleton admitted to engaging in identification theft and conspiracy in a hearing before U.S. District Judge Jeremy Fogel in a San Jose, Calif., federal court.
Wagner’s lawyer said his client didn’t know he was working for the company and was assured his actions were legal. Wagner agreed to assist the U.S. in its investigation of the leak probe at Hewlett-Packard.
DENVER
Lawmakers want smoke-free casinos
State Rep. Anne McGihon, D-Aurora, and state Sen. Ken Gordon, D-Denver, will carry a bill that proposes to ban smoking in Colorado’s commercial casinos, according to Smoke-Free Gaming of Colorado, an advocacy group.
Casinos were exempted from a smoking ban passed last year by the legislature. The bill would not allow smoking in any of the indoor areas of the casinos, Smoke-Free said in a media release Friday.
DENVER
Judge wants details on Swift arrestees
A federal judge demanded Friday that U.S. immigration officials disclose the whereabouts of 265 people arrested in a raid last month at Swift & Co. meatpacking plant in Greeley.
U.S. District Judge John L. Kane gave Immigration and Customs Enforcement until Jan. 22 to submit a list accounting for all the detainees, including those who have been deported. “There are people in custody – there is an urgency to this,” Kane said.
Union attorneys are contesting the arrests at the Greeley plant, one of six Swift plants in six states that were raided Dec. 13. In all, 1,282 people were arrested on immigration violations during the raid, and about 220 of those also face criminal charges such as identity theft.
GOLDEN
McDonald’s mulling Boston Market plan
McDonald’s Corp. said it is considering its options for Golden-based Boston Market. “As it relates to Boston Market, we are beginning to look at potential options and will explore our alternatives during 2007,” McDonald’s said in an e-mail statement. “No decisions have been made whatsoever and therefore it is absolutely inappropriate to speculate.”
McDonald’s bought Boston Market out of bankruptcy in 2000, paying $173.5 million for what was then a 751-unit chain. The company closed some locations and focused on revamping the chain’s menu. Boston Market now has 620 locations in 28 states. It employs 589 in Colorado and 14,500 people nationwide.
